


Black and White and Everything In Between

by WastedWord



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:38:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7900021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WastedWord/pseuds/WastedWord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Work and home, there's just no time to be fawning over a soul mate. Of course, finding one would make it easier to see the world in all it's beauty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As kids, we were taught that the world will always be in black and white. There was nothing to change that. But as we grew older, the teachers began to tell us more and more about the circumstance our world was in. In high school was when they first told us.

“Your world will gain color when you find who your soulmate.”

The entire school erupted. People talked to others who you would have never seen them with. They stopped talking to those that couldn’t make their lives colorful. But that was only high school. In the real world, there was not a moment of rest. Everyone became desperate to find that singular person.

Twenty-three, and I’m still perfectly happy living in a monochrome world.

“Koushi, we’re going to be late.” I scramble around the small apartment, searching for my keys. Surely they couldn’t be that hard to find.

“One moment.” I lift the pillows off the couch, hoping they would be hiding there, but no such luck. Around the corner, a slightly shorter man looks at me desperate to leave. His dark hair sparked a gentle grey in the lighting, dashes of freckles piling around his nose and cheeks. I stare at him a minute. “Tadashi, I said one minute.”

“Sorry, but we really need to go.” He glances over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. I glance at it too, a slight panic rising at the second hand continues to click nearer to 4:30. “You can use the spare key and find it later!” He spins on his heel and leaves, not giving me much of a choice otherwise. With a sigh, I follow after him.

“So, I ran into a slight trouble yesterday,” Tadashi begins, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He had shoved his hands into his coat and buried half his face into the huge coat he was wearing.

“Trouble?” I tilt my head, becoming concerned. His head snaps up and he holds out his hands, swinging them frantically.

“It’s nothing terrible!” The light on the opposite side of the street signals for us to walk, so stepping in time with each other, we cross. “You see, there was this girl the other day-” A smile rushes to my face.

“Tadashi, did you get your color?” He looks down at his shoes as we continue.

“Well, no. But she said she did.” I can feel my smile falter for a moment, but I cling to it, hoping to cheer up my friend.

“Oh, don’t worry about it Tadashi. I’m sure you’ll get it soon. Maybe the color is just coming in slow.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking off at the school campus in the distance. I shove him into the parking lot and give him a small wave. 

“Thanks Koushi.” He grins at me, a look that seemed to consume half his face. With a wave, he runs off to the campus, less worry in his actions than before.

I sigh. “Off to work. Off to work,” I mumble, retracing my steps to crosswalk. I stare at the light on the other side, wishing it would change sooner. The wind was unbearable. With a changed light and a nose about to fall off, I scamper across the road and down a bit of the sidewalk to my work.

“Knock, knock.” I peek my head in, meeting the eager faces of several children. The all gain huge smiles, stumbling to their feet and running over. I laugh, struggling to get through the door.

“Suga, look at this.” One of them holds up a toy superhero. “No this!” One of them holds out a huge rock.

“Now, now. Let Sugawara through the door at least.” I glance up from the tiny bodies to meet the gaze of my coworker. He smiles gently back, running his hand through the hair of a young boy clinging to his pants.

“Hey Chikara,” I say, giving him a small wave. 

“Hey Koushi. Did you take a detour with Yamaguchi again?”

“Yeah, sorry. He was having trouble with something, so I thought I’d help.” I pull off the scarf around my neck and hang it of the rack next to me. Slipping my feet out of my shoes, I wade through the kids who had become slightly calmer than before. “Is this a new member?” 

“Yep. He got dropped off just a bit ago.” I kneel down next to the kid beside Chikara and hold out a hand. 

“Nice to meet you. My name is Sugawara Koushi, but you can call me Suga if it’s easier for you.” He ducks further behind Chikara. “What’s your name?” I ask, letting my hand drop and giving him a patient smile.

“Kenma Kozume.” He wipes his nose on his sleeve, staring at me. I rise to my feet and place a gentle pat on his head.

“Well, hello Kenma.” I round up the rest of the kids and they begin to list off their names.

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou!” The boy belts out a laugh, causing Kenma to hide behind Chikara even more. 

“You’re scaring him!” Another young boy shouts, tackling Bokuto.

“Well then you try to introduce yourself.” Bokuto huffs as if that makes the challenge more serious. It takes all my effort not to laugh.

“My name is Kuroo Tetsurou!” He tried to straighten the spikes of his hair and smiles, a couple gaps present in the white gleam. He holds out a hand to the new kid, and he takes it. Kenma releases Chikara and ventures out to Kuroo. “And this is Oikawa Tooru! And Iwazumi Hajime!”

“And I’m-!” The continue to ramble, slowly attacking Kenma and making him a part of the group they had established. He stayed latched to Kuroo, but a faint smile began to form on his lips.

“Poor kid. He’s so shy.”

I laugh. “But Kuroo will certainly break that shell of his.”

“No kidding. Speaking of shells, has anyone broken the one around your heart yet?” A smirk plays at the corners of Chikara’s mouth.

“Oh shut up.” I shove him to the side, returning my gaze the children. “I’m sure I’ll find someone eventually.”

Twenty-three years and I never really wanted to see what magnificent shades the world had to offer. But, looking at these kids, I realized that in those twenty-three years, I had always wondered how each person looked when flushed with the color that I couldn’t see.


	2. Chapter 2

I slump into a chair in the room conjoining to the children’s room. All of them had finally nestled into their blankets for a nap. Chikara settles into the chair beside me, running his hand through his hair. “I swear,” he breathes. “Those kids won’t settle down. Sometimes I wonder why I wanted this job.”

“It’s worth it to see their sleeping faces,” I say, reciting what he told me on my first day here. “Honestly, I just want to see my sleeping face. I only got three hours last night!” I rub at my eyes.

“Surely it can’t be that hard to get some sleep. I’m a father with a kid that won’t sleep, so try to tell me how little sleep you get.” I look over my shoulder, the presence of the new voice startling. I meet the eyes of a man.

He had to have been a father of the kids here, but with as tall and intimidating he was, I would mistake him on the street for a criminal. His hair is pulled up into a sloppy bun and his chin wasn’t quite shaved as well as it could be. “I’m here before the closing time. Sorry,” he says, a sheepish smile spreading on his face.

“Oh, Asahi!” Chikara asks, sneaking back into the room from wherever he had left to previously. “Are you here to get your kid?” The man shakes his head.

“No, I just came to say hello.” He swings his keys around his finger, staring off into the distance. Yuu seems to have vanished with Yoshino this morning, so I had some time before work to say hello. Has Yaku come by yet?” Chikara shakes his head.

“Nope. One of them should roll around in a couple hours,” I interject, knowing full well that Yaku would come to get Kuroo at around six in the afternoon. The man’s gaze finally meets mine and he smiles in greeting.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there. You seemed to be hiding in the chair.” He holds out a massive hand. “My name’s Asahi Azumane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I take his hand, his easily engulfing mine.

“Sugawara Koushi.” I give him a smile and he returns it.

“Well, thanks for hosting my sudden appearance, but I’m going to go make sure Yuu and Yoshino aren’t doing anything dangerous. I swear, Yuu’s going to make Yoshino as much of a troublemaker as him and I don’t know if I can handle two of them.” He chuckles, but the humor in the tone had become dry. Chikara places a slap on the giant’s back, a huge grin on his face.

“I’m sure Noya will calm down at some point.” Asahi nods and ducks out of the doorway with a small wave at both of us.

“Bye Ennoshita and it was nice to meet you Sugawara.” I give a small wave and steal a full cup of coffee off the table.

“Hey, that’s mine.” Chikara yanks the cup out of my hand.

“I’m going to fall asleep where I sit.”

“Then stand.”

“I swear to God Chikara. If you don’t let me have a sip of that coffee, you’re going to have ten kids on your hands without help.” He frowns, handing the cup back to me. With a smile, I say thank you and take a gulp of the drink.

“That’s more than a sip, Koushi.” I set the cup down, waving the comment off.

“Deal with it.”

“Suga?” A small knock raps on the door to the children’s room. I glance over, a small figure clinging to a blanket standing in the doorway. “I had a bad dream.” Small tears had formed in the corners of the child’s eyes.

“Come here,” I say, opening my arms to the child. He climbs into my lap, small fluff of hair brushing against my arm. “Now what was this dream?”

“It was about being here and no one else was here. Daddy didn’t come and pick me up. It was really scary.”

“But you’re Bokuto Koutarou!” I say with a grin. I squish the skin on his stomach, issuing a small laugh. “You should never be scared because you’re a hero!” I end it with a pinch to a nose. He smiles up at me, his eyes drifting shut again. I bounce my knee a bit to help lullaby him. I sigh and lean my head back in the chair, my eyes closing as well. I really should have gotten more sleep.

Without remembering when I last thought that, I awake with start, meeting the eyes of a young man. His eyes spread wide and I back up in the chair. Bokuto had vanished from my lap and now a stranger was staring me down.

“Sorry,” he says, rising to his feet. “You seemed to be-” he trails off and looks down. When he glances back up at me, I catch his gaze and that’s when it happens.

Starting from the black void of his pupils, everything begins to gain different hues. He stares at me with deep brown eyes and the hand which he held out in greeting was slightly tanned. The hair cropped close to his head was a deep midnight black. And his smile. Thin pink lips and such a brilliant white line of teeth.

I let out a shuddering breath, rising from the chair. “What’s your name?” I ask. I glance around, taking in all the colors. Kenma runs past us with Bokuto and I finally notices the red flush their cheeks gained as they grew breathless. It was beautiful.

“Uhh, I’m Daichi Sawamura.” He holds out a hand to me. I don’t take it, simply staring at him. He drops his hand, realizing I wasn’t going to take it. “What’s your name?”

“Sugawara Koushi.”

“Do you see it too?” I nod, biting my bottom lip.

“Daichi Sawamura, thank you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like sassy Ennoshita


	3. Chapter 3

I don’t really know how long I stood there staring at him, but I snap out of it running my hand through my hair. My fingers come away with gray strands, each one having a slight wave to them.

“Sorry, do you have a kid to pick up?” He chuckles softly, a faint red tone brushing his cheeks.

“No, I’m here to admit myself. Yes, I have a kid here.”

“Name of the child, please.”

“Hinata Shouyou.” I nod and walk away-reluctantly at that-and turned the corner to look in at the hoard of kids on the other side. I call the name I had been given and a small kid with bright orange tufts for hair pokes his head up from the group. A smile spreads across his face, a single tooth missing in the center of his top row of teeth.

“Is Daddy here?” He stumbles to his feet and teeters over. He reaches out a small hand, and I encompass it in mine, staring back into his deep brown eyes. I smile down at him, nodding my head. He giggles and begins to run ahead, his pace matching my stride.

“Shouyou!” Sawamura had kneeled down with his arms open to his son. The boy slips his hand out of mine and runs to his father. The child jumps at his father and he catches the small figure in a tight hug.

He stands, the child in his arms and a pack slung over his shoulder. He offers a shy smile, his eyes closing slightly to compensate for the action. “Do you think I can meet you again?” he asks, adjusting Shouyou on his arm.”

I nod. “Definitely.” A momentary light flashes in his eyes, his smile growing wider beyond the point of being able to be contained.

“Can I give you my number” I nod, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen which I had shoved into my back pocket as a habit of the job. He lists off the numerals and I jot them down. “Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walks out the door, a couple glance back to finish it off.

“Koushi!” Making each syllable longer than it should be, Chikara slams an arm over my shoulder. “Did you actually meet someone you like? Right after you said that you didn’t care?”

“I will actually slap you.”

Throughout the day, people came by and picked up their kids until Kenma was the last one still in the play area. He twists the legs of a pipe cleaner cat that was probably made by Kuroo earlier in the day. Chikara sits beside him, trying to make conversation, but without the other kid with him, Kenma didn’t seem to want communication with anyone.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” A tall, young man runs through the door, his pale gray hair fluffed up towards the top, but clinging to the sides of his head with sweat. “There was so much traffic, and no one was moving because of an accident down the street and I had to park a few blocks away.” He takes a breath in and out, running his hand through his already messy hair. He looks over at Kenma with deep green eyes. “I’m so sorry Kozume.” He walks over to his child, a strain in his voice. “I came as fast as I could, okay?” He hugs the child, the small figure collapsing into his arms.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m sure you’re fine. Kenma seems to understand.” Chikara places an arm on the young father’s shoulder and helps him to his feet.

Kenma places his hand into his father’s and begins to walk. “Come on Daddy. We have to get home.” The man nods at us, and he walks off with his child.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” I ask Chikara who had begun to pick up toys off the ground.

“Just have to clean up now.” I lean over and pick up the cat that Kenma was playing with.

“I’ll be right back.” Leaving Chikara behind, I run outside, cold air hitting my face. I shiver, but I continue on without retreating for my jacket. Running around the corner, I spot Lev and Kenma walking down the sidewalk.

“Kenma!” I call. The little boy turns his head around to meet my gaze, a monotonous look on his expression. “You forgot this. I think it was from Kuroo, right?” I hold out the crafted cat and a small smile forms at the corners of the child’s mouth. He reaches out his hands and grabs the black pipe cleaners.

“Thank you Suga,” he says, burying his face into the scarf looped around his neck.

“Suga? Is that your name?” the man asks.

“Not quite.” I hold out a hand. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, but all the kids call me Suga.” The man takes my hand, the size at least twice mine.

“I’m Lev Haiba.”

I nod and tell him goodbye, running back to Chikara. He stands at the front door, locking it. “You finished without me.”

“You were being all sentimental.”

“I was giving a toy back to a child.”

“Are you sure you weren’t chasing your dreams who seems to have taken the name of Daichi?” I frown, not responding. He holds out my phone. “Your phone rang when you left. It was Yamaguchi. He also texted you quite a bit.” I grab my phone and shove it in my pocket, making a note to check it when I got home.”

“Bye, Chikara.” He laughs, waving me off and walking in the opposite direction.

I walk home, taking in the gentle sights and the less than gentle noises of cars rushing past. Pulling at my scarf, I notice the gentle blue hue coloring the night sky, sparked by the gentle silver of the moon. With reluctance to leave the sight behind, I walk into my house, shutting the door behind me.

Around me, brown is the only color present. Brown walls, couch, carpet, tile, and counters. It was almost disgusting. I would have to paint it later. Plopping down on the couch, I pull out my phone and turn it on. With twelve notifications from Tadashi, I sigh and go into text messages. All of the messages were short and misspelled, a thing not typical to Tadashi. The final one was ordering me to call him. Frowning, I go into my contacts and click on his icon to call.

“Koushi!” A gasp follows the singular name along with a shuddering breath outward.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” He tries to speak, but small sobs exit instead of words.

“Calm down Tadashi, and speak.”

“The girl, Yachi, she was so happy today. She kept going on about her color and all that. But I still didn’t get my color Koushi. But I took what you said and decided to wait. Koushi, I-” A full sob cuts off the rest of the sentence.

“Breathe,” is all I say in response.

“I saw someone today. He was some guy walking down the hall. And we met eyes for just a moment. Why did it have to be like this Koushi? I can see color now because of him and it was clear that he got his color too. And then, there’s Yachi and I don’t want to hurt her. What do I do?”

“Uhh, I would go after the guy?” I rub at my eyes, knowing full well my advice was terrible.

“Koushi!” 

“Sorry, sorry! I really don’t know what to tell you.” I bend over myself with a small groan. “I would tell the girl what is going on and tell her to wait until someone gets their color when they look at her instead of waiting for someone who got their color looking at someone else. And then, go find the guy and see what happens.”

“But that still leaves her hurt, and I don’t like that option Koushi.”

“I have nothing else to offer Tadashi!” I say, far louder than I mean too. “Sorry,” I mutter afterwards.

“It’s okay Koushi.” he sniffs. “Thank you for your help.”

“I hope you figure it out. Night Tadashi.”

“Night.”

I set down my phone and rub my eyes. Struggling to figure out what to do, I pull the small notepad out of my pocket. Along the front sheet, the scribbled number from earlier in the day. A small ping in my chest persuades me to call the number.

“Hello?” The voice on the other side crackles in.

“Ah, hello. It’s uhh, Koushi from earlier.”

“Oh yes! Hello!” His voice softens a bit as he calls over to his kid. “Shouyou, eat your peas.” A small ‘no’ follows. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. What about you?”

“You don’t sound good though. You sound like you haven’t slept in ages.”

“Well, dealing with all those kids during the day wears you out.”

“And yet, you’ve still taken the time to call me?”

“Well…” I can’t find a proper way to finish the thought. He laughs on the other end.

“You should get some sleep because at this point Shouyou’s going to decorate the walls green.” He chuckles again softly.

“I’ll make sure to do so. Thank you for picking up the phone at least.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’ve got a child! That’s a full time job right there Sawamura!”

“I can always take time out of my day to talk if you need it. And please, call me Daichi.”

“Thank you, and if that’s the case, call me Koushi.” I say, a smile invading my expression instead of the frown that had rested there previously.

“I will. Now, I really have to go. Shouyou’s throwing a fit. See you tomorrow Koushi. Have a good night.” He hangs up before I can respond to the goodbye. I set down my phone beside me and put my head in my hands.

I can’t stop smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

I wake the next morning, still on the couch and still dressed the same as the day before. I rub the back of my head which prickles with pain as I rise to a sitting position. On the floor, my phone rests, the alarm beeping furiously. I probably dropped it what I was sleeping. 

I grab my phone and stand, wandering aimlessly around the apartment. What was today? Saturday, right? I glance at the calendar to confirm the thought and stretch. Tadashi wouldn’t be stopping by since he didn’t have school, so I could get ready as slow as I wish. Of course, I say that, but I’d be ready in easily fifteen minutes.  


Walking to the cramped bathroom, I stare into the mirror, realizing that I had yet to look at the colors that invaded my looks. Meeting my own brown-eyes gaze, I take in everything. I was pale. It looked as if I had never exited the house. My eyes flit up to my hair and I look at the pale gray color. What was I? An old man? I tug at the strands, but I just sigh in defeat. This is who I was.  


Clicking my tongue, I look at the time on the face of my phone. 4:05. With only twenty-five minutes, I abandon the thought of a shower and just smother myself in deodorant, hoping it would work for the day. I throw on clothes that I hope match and run out the door, a small grain bar in my hand.  


Chikara stands outside the daycare when I get there, unlocking the door. Kenma, Kuroo, and Iwaizumi stand beside him, bundled in coats and scarves. It really was too cold here. I shiver as if my body wanted to prove such a point. Kenma sees me and waves, but Kuroo pulls him inside before he can do anything more.  


“Kenma has taken a liking to you, I see,” Chikara remarks, holding open the door for me. I give a thank you, and shrug at his remark.  


“Has there ever been a kid that didn’t like me?” I know for a fact that the grin on my face is a smug one. Chikara things, unravelling the scarves off the children. I join him, helping the kids out of their heavy coats.  


“I like Suga more than Ennoshita!” cries Kuroo, running over to me. I pat his black hair, trying to get a couple of the clumps to sit down straight.  


“Why don’t you like Ennoshita?” I ask, but my heart had swelled at the comment.  


“He doesn’t like to play like you do. I wanna play dinosaur with Kenma, but he won’t do it.”  


“Ennoshita doesn’t know how to play,” I say with a chuckle. Kenma stares at the two of us with large eyes.  


“Why not?” cries Kuroo again.  


“Because only I know how to play.”  


“Then teach him!” I stand up, pushing him away slightly.  


“Would you like me to play it for a minute before we get breakfast ready?” A light shines in their eyes as all three of the kids begin to scream yes. Kuroo claws at my shirt, insisting to be the one on my back. I lift him up, placing him around my shoulders and hoisting the other two into my arms. This hurt my arms and made me realize that I had absolutely no dignity, but it made them happy.  


With each kid carefully placed, I begin to walk. Kuroo wraps his arms around my neck, making it difficult to breathe properly. Deal with it, I think to myself, and I begin to hop around. With each little hop, I saw roar, and with each noise, the kids let out a mix between a laugh and a scream.  


“One, two…” I warn. Kuroo and Akaashi let out a loud squeal, but Kenma clings to my arm, terrified. I feel bad for him, but his cheeks had gone pink and his eyes were sealed shut, making him more adorable that he was typically. “Three!” I stand straight up and Kuroo slides off my back. I follow behind him, crouching to make sure he has a steady landing.  


He begins to circle me as the little dinosaur child, a giggle invading every little roar he manages to produce. “That looks like a fun game,” someone behind me says. I look over my shoulder, my face heating up at the sight of Daichi standing in the doorway. I set down Akaashi and Kenma, and I approach him.  


“Yeah, the kids love it at least.”  


“You don’t?” he asks. I glance over at the three children who were now pestering Chikara to do the same thing I had done.  


“It’s makes you sore, very quickly.” I laugh to lighten the awkward ball that had settled in my stomach. I just acted like an idiot in front of this man. Ugh, could it get any worse? Of course it could.  


Hinata pops out from behind Daichi, a grin on his face. He runs up to me and yanks on my shirt a little too hard. Feeling myself losing balance, I rush Hinata out of the way as I fall right where he had been standing. At least I didn’t land on his kid, but jeez, this was embarrassing. I rise to my feet again, rubbing at my lower back.  


“Apologize to Sugawara.” He was scolding his child for do that, but really, it wasn’t necessary.  


“It’s okay. It happens a lot.” It was too late for the reassurance. Hinata walks up to me again, his tiny hands tugging at the front of his shirt.  


“I’m sorry, Suga.” I pat his head and ruffle the bright orange mop that rested there.  


“It’s okay. Just be a bit more careful.” I look up at Daichi, wondering why he was frowning at the screen of his phone.  


“I’m so sorry, but I have to go. If you want, when I pick up Shouyou, I can take you out to dinner,” Daichi offers, already halfway out the door.  


“Yeah, that’d be great,” I mutter, in shock from the sudden invitation. Shouyou slips his hand into mine and drags me over to the kids.  


I had a date. When was the last time I had a date? No one knew, but I was certain that this would top any I had (or didn’t have) before


	5. Chapter 5

Chikara and I make breakfast for the kids, offering them pancakes and bowls of cut up peaches. Kuroo shows Kenma how to put the peaches of the pancakes to make it twice as delicious. Kenma watches in disbelief, but he couldn’t help but lean closer to learn. Iwaizumi and Oikawa sit together, watching as Kuroo spits food from his mouth as he talks. Bokuto sits with Akaashi in the corner, waving a half eaten pancake in front of the other boy’s face.

“You should probably go stop Bokuto before Akaashi does something.” Chikara grins at the two of them, refraining from laughing at the scene that was unfolding.

“Akaashi has never done anything bad. He’ll probably just walk away.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. Take that pancake away before it get’s flung across the damn room Koushi.” I huff at the comment, walking over the the pair of kids. Bokuto looks at me with bright golden eyes and a huge smile placed across his face.

“Can you put your pancake down and eat it?” I crouch in front of him, watching as he places the food back on his plate. A small look of defeat passes over his face.

“I just wanted to make sure Akaashi ate good. He’s not eating a lot.” He points defensively at the other boy’s plate, indicating the still uneaten food resting there. I stare at it a moment. Even though Bokuto’s playing with food was concerning, this was twice as concerning.

“Akaashi, why aren’t you eating.” His small brown eyes meet mine, and he looks back at his food. He mutters an excuse but I can’t hear him. When he realizes this, he repeats it, as if he knew that he had spoken too quietly.

“I’m not that hungry.”

“Why not?”

“I ate a big dinner yesterday.” His puffs out his cheeks, the skin of them brushed with a red tinge.

“You still need to eat breakfast.”

“But, Bokuto doesn’t eat a lot at home. He told me so, and I want him to have enough to eat.” I turn back around to Bokuto, sensing that this back and forth was going to continue for a while.

“Why don’t you eat a lot for dinner?”

“Daddy doesn't like to eat much ‘cause he says it’ll make us fat.” He taps his belly. “So I’m not that hungry since Daddy and I don’t eat much together.” Someone taps my shoulder, and by process of elimination by height, I assume it’s Chikara. I glance up at him, a plate of freshly made pancakes in each hand.

“Well, I have plenty for both of you, so eat up. If I need to, I’ll make more.” He places one more at each of their plates and offering the smile. Of course, I don’t get a smile. I get a spatula popped to the back of my head.

“Your boyfriend to be is here. He says that he was done early and he’d like to take you to lunch. If you’re back within an hour, I may be able to not cut part of your pay for this week.”

“When did you even have time to talk to someone at the door? And it’s barely breakfast time!”

“Why do you think I sent you over here Koushi?” He walks back to the small griddle, unplugging it. “And bring that last part up with him.” I give him a pointed frown and walk into the front room of the daycare. Daichi stands there, looking uncomfortable. His cheeks had a faint red hue to them, and I would tease him for such a thing, but I knew that my face wasn’t much better.

His gaze snaps up to me as I walk into his view. “Hey, sorry. I know I said dinner, but I figure lunch without Shouyou would be better than worrying about a child. As much as I love him, he is a handful.”

I chuckle. “I think it would be funny to have him come along, but for a first date, maybe so.” She smiles awkwardly, his face flushing even more. I resist laughing at him again and hold up a finger. “Give me one minute to get presentable.” He nods, saying nothing more.

Walking into the play room, I grab my scarf and exchange it for the apron I had on. I pull on my coat and curl the scarf around my neck, knowing it was going to be freezing outside. When I return, Daichi looks up and offers the door open for me. I thank his with a small head bow, scampering out. The cold wind hits my face, and I can’t say that it’s particularly pleasant.

“It’s cold,” Daichi says behind me. I look over my shoulder.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” That gets me a glare and a soft hit to the arm.

“I do have a car, unless you have a desire to walk there.”

“Well how far is it?”

“Not far.”

“Then let’s walk. It’ll give us time to talk beforehand.” He smiles at me, the expression consuming his face. His eyes close in response to the grin and shoves his hands in his pockets, fishing out a pair of gloves.

“Sound good to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I want the next one to be particularly long chapter, so I had to compensate. Hope you enjoy either way. ^.^


	6. Chapter 6

I pull on my gloves along with him and we set out for whatever destination he had in mind. We walk side by side, but every accidental brush of our shoulders issues an apology from whoever felt at fault. And a majority of the time, it was both of us. After a while, Daichi holds up his hands, and laughs.

“How about we stop the apologies?” He smiles at me, the offer sounding great. I swear, my voice was going to be sore by the time we actually got to the restaurant. So we continue to walk, and every time we brushed shoulder, we would still recoil, but now there was only slight tension in the air.

It only takes a few more minutes before we reach the restaurant which was simply a local joint. It was on the high end side with fancy lights and laminated menus. The waiter shows us to a table, and we sit across from each other in the corner booth. With a basket of breadsticks between us, we stare at the menus, searching for something to eat.

“Do you think you’ll like the food here?” he asks. I set down the sheet to look at him, the napkins on the table fluttering slightly from the harsh movement.

“Oh yeah! Totally. I’m not nearly as picky as the kids.” I stare back at the small letters, straining my eyes to read them. Sighing, I reach into the small backpack that I always kept with me and pulled out my glasses case. Placing the lenses on my nose, I look at the menu again, pleased at the new sight.

“Well…” I glance up, Daichi looking directly at me. “You look good in glasses.” Heat rises to my feet and I scramble to take them off.

“Ah! Sorry. I just put them on without thinking.” He laughs,

“Why did you take them off so quick. They looked good.” I put them back in their case.

“I don’t care for them.” Smiling, Daichi disappears behind the menu, muttering only one more thing.

“That’s a pity.”

After a while of silence and decisions, the waiter comes back around with a pad and pen in one hand. He stood tall, his face somewhat cruel looking. “What can I get you today?” As Daichi orders, I take in what the man looks like.

He had tanned skin and black hair that rose in small peaks. His hair wasn’t that long, so the spikes were many with little height to add to his already impressive one. He wore the typical restaurant uniform, a white button up, and black pants and a black apron tied around his waist. He was strange. A mean looking man that could easily snap someone in half working as a waiter. How the hell did that work out?

“Iwa-chan! Hurry up!” Someone from across the restaurant yells out, the man in front of us tensing up at the sound. He glances back at us and gives us the best smile he can offer. 

“As much as I’d hate to do this, if I don’t urge you to hurry, I believe my husband will interrupt the entire place. So if you would-”

“Iwaaaaaa…” There’s a pause in the sounds before a man with butterscotch hair down to his ears, slams his arm down on the man labelled as Iwa. “Chan!” he finishes, grinning.

He looks at us, flashing us a peace sign with his fingers. “Hello there!” He turns back to Iwa, and pouts. “Iwa-chan, it’s your break time. Why aren’t you off yet?” 

“I have a customer Tooru. If you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to lose my job, and we have a kid to support.”

“Oh!” I finally put the pieces together. “You two are Tobio’s parents.” They both stop and stare at me in shock. 

“How do you know about my lil’ Tobio?” Tooru asks, raising a dramatic eyebrow.

“I work at the daycare that he comes to, but I usually only see you guys coming out since it’s outside of my main shift. Aone takes care of the kids in the nighttime daycare, but I know all of the kids in the place.” I hold out a hand. “It’s a pleasure Tooru, and Iwa?” The man’s eye twitches.

“Hajime Iwaizumi.” He shakes me hand, leaving it to Tooru to complete the greeting.

“Tooru Oikawa.” Oikawa gives a brisk shake, quickly snapping the connection. He turns to Iwaizumi and whines something before prancing away. The taller man turns back to us and gives a crooked grin, half of his mouth not following the expression.

“My oh-so-lovely husband has just given me the permission to finish serving you.”

“That’s good,” Daichi chimes in. “If he didn’t, you would have gotten a sorry tip from us.” We all laugh, and both Daichi and I order our food. As Iwaizumi walks away to the kitchen, I lean in to eliminate any chance of being overheard.

“The poor guy.” A small chuckle falls out of Daichi’s lips.

“I know right. He’s got a husband as whiny as a wife. Imagine that.”

“I can just hear him calling from another room to make sure he does the dishes.” We both laugh again and I settle back into my seat. The food comes within time, Iwaizumi quickly taking off to go sit in a booth with Oikawa so that he doesn’t become any more impatient. We both watch as they talk, and the smile that touches Iwaizumi’s face ensures that his annoyance truly was just a front.

“Tobio’s got good parents.” I let out a sigh past the smile that had been placed on my lips. I stare into Daichi’s eyes, taking in the chocolatey color. “And Shouyou had a great father.”

“Thank you.” A gentle red touches his face and I know from the heat in my face that it follows the same. I shove some of the pasta I had ordered into my mouth in order to escape looking at the man in front of me. We eat, only small conversations interrupting the silence every now and again. By the time we leave, Iwaizumi has been released from his husband’s grasp, and he gives us the bill before we leave. 

Daichi offers to pay, but knowing he’s a single father ends up with us in a small argument before we decide to split the bill. I leave ten dollars on the table for Iwaizumi and we walk out of the restaurant. This time, our shoulders brush each other constantly as we travel back to the daycare. I look at my watch, knowing that we’re an hour out from when we left. I swear it felt like five minutes.

“Thank you for the brunch.” Daichi smiles and nods in response.

“Thank you for coming.” Someone’s phone beeps, and we both scramble to see if it’s our own. My phone is blank, so I look back up and watch as Daichi scans the text he had just gotten. His brow furrows, taking a deep breath. The breath plumes out in front of him in a puff.

He shoves his phone back into his back pocket and looks at me with a planned grin. It didn’t hold any cheer, but rather, urgency to leave. “Thank you for taking care of Shouyou too. I’ll come get him after I tend to my work errand.” Another impatient smile and he runs off. I watch from outside the daycare as he slides into his car and drives off.

He’s an interesting man and that’s to say the least.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter! If you got this far that is. I hope to write more, so if you enjoyed, stay tuned! 
> 
> And don't get mad at me if there's five year breaks between chapters.


End file.
